Could we use a million cores to solve an integer program?

Given the steady increase in cores per CPU, it is only a matter of time before supercomputers will have a million or more cores. In this article, we investigate the opportunities and challenges that will arise when trying to utilize this vast computing power to solve a single integer linear optimization problem. We also raise the question of whether best practices in sequential solution of ILPs will be effective in massively parallel environments.     

A Thioxanthone Sensitizer with a Chiral Phosphoric Acid Binding Site: Properties and Applications in Visible Light-Mediated Cycloadditions

A chiral phosphoric acid with a 2,2’-binaphthol core was prepared that displays two thioxanthone moieties at the 3,3’-position as light-harvesting antennas. Despite its relatively low triplet energy, the phosphoric acid was found to be an efficient catalyst for the enantioselective intermolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of β-carboxyl-substituted cyclic enones (e.r. up to 93:7). Binding of the carboxylic acid to the sensitizer is suggested by NMR studies and by DFT calculations to occur by means of two hydrogen bonds. The binding event not only enables an enantioface differentiation but also modulates the triplet energy of the substrates.     

Intramolecular [2+2] Photocycloaddition of 3‐ and 4‐(But‐3‐enyl)oxyquinolones: Influence of the Alkene Substitution Pattern,Photophysical Studies,and Enantioselective Catalysis by a Chiral Sensitizer

The intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of four 4‐(but‐3‐enyl)oxyquinolones (substitution pattern at the terminal alkene carbon atom: CH₂, Z‐CHEt, E‐CHEt, CMe₂) and two 3‐(but‐3‐enyl)oxyquinolones (substitution pattern: CH₂, CMe₂) was studied. Upon direct irradiation at λ=300 nm, the respective cyclobutane products were formed in high yields (83–95 %) and for symmetrically substituted substrates with complete diastereoselectivity. Substrates with a Z‐ or E‐substituted terminal double bond showed a stereoconvergent reaction course leading to mixtures of regio‐ and diastereomers with almost identical composition. The mechanistic course of the photocycloaddition was elucidated by transient absorption spectroscopy. A triplet intermediate was detected for the title compounds, which–in contrast to simple alkoxyquinolones such as 3‐butyloxyquinolone and 4‐methoxyquinolone–decayed rapidly (τ≈1 ns) through cyclization to a triplet 1,4‐diradical. The diradical can evolve through two reaction channels, one leading to the photoproduct and the other leading back to the starting material. When the photocycloaddition was performed in the presence of a chiral sensitizer (10 mol %) upon irradiation at λ=366 nm in trifluorotoluene as the solvent, moderate to high enantioselectivities were achieved. The two 3‐(but‐3‐enyl)oxyquinolones gave enantiomeric excesses (ees) of 60 and 64 % at ?25 °C, presumably because a significant racemic background reaction occurred. The 4‐substituted quinolones showed higher enantioselectivities (92–96 % ee at ?25 °C) and, for the terminally Z‐ and E‐substituted substrates, an improved regio‐ and diastereoselectivity.     

A Chiral Thioxanthone as an Organocatalyst for Enantioselective [2+2] Photocycloaddition Reactions Induced by Visible Light

Thioxanthone 1 , which was synthesized in a concise fashion from methyl thiosalicylate, exhibits a significant absorption in the visible light region. It allows for an efficient enantioselective catalysis of intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reactions presumably by triplet energy transfer.